The Hands of the Living God An Account of a Psycho-analytic Treatment [Paperback]

At once autobiographical and psychoanalytic, The Hands of the Living God, first published in 1969, provides a detailed case study of Susan who, during a 20-year long treatment, spontaneously discovers the capacity to do doodle drawings.

An important focus of the book is the drawings themselves, 150 of which are reproduced in the text, and their deep unconscious perception of the battle between sanity and madness. It is these drawings, linked with Milners sensitive and lucid record of the therapeutic encounter, that give the book its unique and compelling interest.

With a new introduction by Adam Phillips, The Hands of the Living Godis essential reading for all those with an interest in the fields of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy and, more widely, to those involved in therapy and the arts.

Winnicott, Foreword. Preface. Phillips, Introduction. Part I: The Years Before She Began to Draw.Her History. The Beginning of the Analysis: Her First Two Dreams. Unable to Grow Spiritually or Mentally: Blocks in the Maturational Process. The Dream of Water Behind the House: Need for the Self-created Environment. Daydream of a River and Logs: Her Devil as Seducer to Destruction? A Change in Technique: Attention to the Threshold Between the Articulate and the Inarticulate. Her Lost Background: The Undifferentiated Sea of Inner Body Awareness. She Begins to Turn Up as a Person: First Recognition of Self-projection Via her Cats. A New Experience of Breakdown: When her Foster Home Breaks Up. Part II: The 1950 Drawings.She Makes Contact by Doodle Drawings: Faecal Symbols as Devils or Chrysalises. After the Easter Holiday in Hospital: The Bottoms Eye View of the World. After the Consultation: The Turd-baby and Strangled Feelings. The Sleeping Goddess: Premonitions of Waking up to Face Disillusionmel3”